Without You
by Elfaghetti
Summary: Dramione. After her husband is brutally killed, Hermione Malfoy and her daughter run to friends that dont even know she still exists. Will old feelings surface? and is her husband really dead?
1. The Risk

Disclaimer: I own 178 CDs, 2 cats, a fish and a ponytail holder...  
  
Chapter One- The Risk  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I know you do."  
  
"Promise me you won't try to save me."  
  
"I cannot do that. I love you. I can't let you go."  
  
"Do it for Fiona. She needs her mother."  
  
"But what if they go after me?"  
  
"Run. When they get me, slip out the door. Death Eaters are always in for a good show. They'll watch Voldemort torture me, while you can escape."  
  
"Torture you.I can't do this."  
  
"You must. it will be your savior."  
  
"But where will I go?"  
  
"Take Fiona and flee. There is a shelter for Aurors 5 blocks from the Hall. You cannot Apparate, so you must run. Tap the purple fire hydrant with your wand and say, "Piece de resistance."  
  
"I will."  
  
They both donned their masks, and the woman slipped one over her sleeping daughter. Her husband kissed her passionately, and she held on tightly, afraid to let him go.  
  
He was a Death Eater, she, a Death Eater's wife. Both were highly respected by Voldemort, so respected in fact, that the man was Voldemort's Secret Keeper. For what he was keeper for, no one knew, except him and the Dark Lord. Or at least, that was what everyone thought.  
  
He had told one person of the Secret, the leader of the Resistance, the strongest wizard in the world.  
  
Dumbledore.  
  
If Dumbledore could not save him from the wrath of Voldemort, none could. He would die tonight. At the banquet, some would notice that something was missing. Something that was to be revealed that night. Something.crucial to the Lord's plan. He would rage, and the man responsible for divulging the secret would be found.and killed.  
  
His wife placed a gentle hand to his cheek.  
  
"Be strong, my love, and I will be strong for you."  
  
A tear fell from her chocolate brown eye. She knew it would come to this when she married him. She had to leave everything behind, her friends, and her family, and move to Sweden. Only Dumbledore knew of the plan. Everyone else thought she had disappeared. Her mind strayed to the Auror's shelter. Would they take her in?  
  
She stiffened. Of course they would! If they recognized her, that is. She had been the smartest witch in her year, and friends with the great Harry Potter.  
  
Her heart leapt for joy. Harry. Would she see him again?  
  
Fiona stirring in her arms brought her back to her senses. She smiled at her husband, so handsome even behind the mask. Together they stepped out of the threshold, away from the home that they had lived in, and raised their lovely daughter. The banquet tonight would mark a turning point in their relationship, but one thing would never change.  
  
Their love.  
  
As they stepped into the carriage, she turned to face him. Softly, she kissed his exposed lips, and whispered into his ear;  
  
"I love you, Draco Malfoy."  
  
A/N Dum dum dum! What will happen? Will Hermione escape? Will she meet Harry (and that other guy?) Will Draco DIE? Stay tuned for more! 


	2. A Worthwhile Demonstration

A/n this chappie is an edited version of the original…..ummmm it had been so long, that I had forgotten what the hell was happening, and added a certain character in chapter three that was _supposed_ to not be there, so I changed this one a weeeeee bit. ciao

Chapter Two- A Worthwhile Demonstration

Hermione Malfoy straightened her mask hesitantly, and looked around the giant dining hall. All the inhabitants were wearing dark masks, like herself, and wearing identical black robes. This made it impossible to figure out who was who, and difficult to find the Dark Lord himself. She glanced over at her husband, who was smooth and poised as ever, shaking everyone's hand, and murmuring welcomes in an unidentifiable voice.

All was going as planned. Any time now, and Dumbledore was going to take it. Whatever "it" was, only Draco, the Dark Lord, and Dumbledore knew, but Draco had assured them that it was crucial to Voldemort's plan. Hermione had guessed that it was a substance capable of inflicting major pain, but her husband was unable to tell her if that was so.

Their daughter, Fiona Bianca Malfoy, stirred peacefully under Hermione's robes. Hermione had placed a Silencing Charm on the baby, and hidden her quietly. Children were never allowed at the meetings, and were always left outside the inner chambers when they were conducted. She had lied and said that Fiona was sick today, and left at home with one of the maids. Assuring her child was always with her made sure that she could make a swift escape to the Aurors shelter.

Suddenly, a roar of rage escaped from the Death Eater farthest from them. A jet of silver sparks escaped his wand, and all of their masks flew off. In terror, Hermione looked over at her husband, who nodded, a grim smile over his face. He nodded, and she whimpered slightly, then slunk out the door, the confusion covering her. The Dark Lord himself was commanding a giant spell that would enrapture the entire building. She ran, clutching Fiona to her chest, and felt a giant wave of power singe her robes as she leapt out the door.

Looking stealthily into the nearest window, the curtains being blown off by the spell, she saw that the curse had stunned everyone but the spell caster himself. Voldemort was going from person to person, checking faces. With a look of triumph, he loomed over her unconscious husband, and hissed "_enervate._"

Draco's eyed flipped open, and he simultaneously uttered a small spell, "_labia lege alba_," just as Voldemort hissed "_crucio_."

Hermione shook with terror as Draco screamed unendingly. The other Death Eaters were beginning to awake, and they stared, with befuddled looks on their faces, as the Dark Lord's right hand man was being tortured my his master. Voldemort ceased his curse, and Draco fell limp to the ground, blood pouring from his exploded veins. He looked so weak. She pried her eyes from him, and noticed something strange. Most of the Death Eaters were laughing cruelly, but there were two that whispered to each other quietly, and looked around. Hermione quickly ducked under the frame, holding Fiona tightly to her body.

There was a crack as a whip, and she whirled around to see one of the Death Eaters leering at her. She whipped out her wand, but he extended his arms in peace.

"Mrs. Malfoy?" he asked.

"Y-y-yes," she stammered in reply. The Death Eater smiled, and stepped into the light. It was Professor Snape! She gasped, but was quickly silenced by his hand on her lips.

"Shhh, they will hear. I daresay, Mrs. Malfoy, I never expected that _you_ were still alive, much less the wife of a respected Death Eater."

Hermione nodded, and pushed away from him. "How am I to trust you, Mr. Snape?" she inquired, giving him a shrewd calculating look.

He smiled at her glances, and pulled her a few blocks down towards a lilac fire hydrant. He muttered something below his breath, and the hydrant disappeared. In its place appeared a small door, no more than a foot tall, with no apparent bell, or knocker. Snape looked pleased at her puzzled expression, and gestured for her to enter. She made a motion to kick the small door in frustration, but instead felt her entire body, starting with her extended foot, become sucked through the entrance, and fall into a large lounge-like area. Situated around the table were many bedraggled-looking witches and wizards, all wearing sooty black cloaks. The tall, awkward man at the far foot of the table jumped to his feet, squinted slightly, then gasped, "Hermione?"

"Yes," she managed to choke out, and before she even knew it, she felt his arms around her, and she looked up once again at the same clear, blue eyes she had gazed into many times before. She began crying, in fearful, powerful sobs that rocked her body like ocean waves, but a moment later Hermione became well aware that they were surrounded by a crowd of people, all gasping, and mumbling her name amongst them. A certain red haired woman caught her eye, and she screamed, "GINNY?"

Ginny screamed as well, and they were about to fall into a hug, when a small cry uttered from under Hermione's cloak. She quickly unraveled Fiona from her wrappings, and as soon as she did, a flood of questions burst out.

"Is that your child?"

"Are you married?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Where have you been all these years?"

Ron gave them all a stern look. "Everyone, please give Mione some space, she's obviously quite distraught. I'm sure she will tell her story to you all when she's properly rested, until then, could you please leave her alone?"

Obligingly, the crowd dispersed. Hermione caught the faces of Dean Thomas, Padma Patil, and even Professor Minerva McGonagall walking away, but felt a crash of disappointment when she saw that Harry was not among them. Ron took one look at Fiona, then solemnly asked, "Will you tell me what's been happening with you all these years?"

Hermione looked from his face to Ginny's, who was sitting quietly on an ottoman in the corner. Memories of the past five years flooded into her already clouded mind, but miraculously, she regained her senses, and began her story.

A/N Nooooooo! I'm stopping here! But I'm going to post the next chappie really soon. Its probably going to be a two parter, and will explain what the heck is going on!


	3. Tell Me a Story

A/n: for those of you who haven't noticed, I edited the second chappie, so this one might not make any sense. The first part is in italics, because it is Hermione telling the story, and is sort of in flashback mode. Ok?

Chapter3: Tell Me a Story

_Hermione Granger looked around the crowded coffee shop, and sipped her tea pensively. Her "date", if you could call him that, was late, and for once she was not surprised. The posh, beautiful heir Draco Malfoy would expect his women to wait for him, and wait she did. She just hoped he would damn well hurry up. The older couple in the booth next to her table were starting to stare. Of course they were staring at the thin wooden rod in her pocket that they now knew as a wand. After all, the Statute for Wizarding secrecy had been dissolved, and she, for one, was royally pissed. These muggles were treating her like some sort of freak. Giving them a glare, she slid her finger against the tip of her wand. The couple quickly returned to their coffee._

"Having fun are we, Granger?"

Malfoy's slow drawl hissed from next to her. Clever. He had managed to sneak into the other chair without her even noticing. Damn Clever. She had to make sure it would never happen again.

She gave him a civil smeil. "How are you, malfoy?"

He laughed. "You know, Granger, you wouldn't have agreed to meet me here if you had just wanted to continue our current relationship."

She scoffed at the word "relationship".

"That is hardly the word I would use to describe it."

"Our," he paused, "Co-existence then, if you will. What I was getting at is that if we wish to make amends, or at least word together somehow, we should start calling each other by our given names. Please," he placed an outstretched hand on the table, "call me Draco." He quirked an eyebrow, and gave a patented Malfoy-esque smirk.

She raised her own eyebrow in turn, and placed her hand in his. "Hermione."

He nodded, then raised her hand, and kissed it. "A Pleasure," he said, with a cheeky grin. She rolled her eyes, and took another sip from her tea.

The waitress walked over, and Draco ordered a shot of espresso with a slice of cheesecake. Hermione looked impressed.

"So you do have a soft side," she commented.

"if you could really call a penchant for cheesecake that," he said, then leaned back with an evil look in his eyes. "So, I heard you finally put that sick animal down."

She was puzzled. "What on Earth are you talking about, Mal…..Draco?"

He stared, then enunciated, "The sick……..pathetic……ruddy….tag along dog….excuse of a boyfriend that you had for about 3 years. His name was…..Weasley, am I correct?"

Her mouth dropped open. "How dare……" she started, but he cut her off.

"Don't even bother trying to dictate Weasley's merits to me, Hermione," he spat. "People like him have ruined it for everyone. His father's bloody suggestion that we all should 'stop deceiving', and 'integrate' was the hugest load of pure bullshit I have ever heard! Why, even self-righteous demi-god Potter protested that! He knew how mudbl…..muggles reacted to wizards like us in their midst!"

Hermione blushed. "Draco, don't say that in here. What if someone hears?"

Draco stared into her eyes. "If the Weasley integration plan had really worked, I wouldn't have to worry if someone heard me. Face it, Hermione. Its Weasley's fault that that Muggle policeman is targeting us right now."

She looked into the window behind her, and sure enough, a policeman was string at her and Draco whilst talking into his radio. She turned to look back at him.

"I think we should leave," he said. She nodded. As they stood up, their waitress ran over, carrying the espresso and cheesecake on a tray. Without a word, Draco downed the shot, and threw a handful of wizard change on the table.

"That should cover it," he said to the alarmed teenager. "Ta."

Hermione looked at the young girl with compassion. She probably had no clue to what was going on around her. To her, Hermione and Draco were just 2 young adults, rude maybe, and rich looking, who said funny things, and carried odd money. She probably never watched the news, or know of wizards, aside from the small bit of gossip she got from her friends. She was just doing her job.

Hermione leant over, and whispered into her ear, "I envy you," then ran after Draco's retreating back, and disapperated.

A mob of police charged the shop seconds after the two wizards had left. The chief muttered something about a planned conspiracy, and turned his eye to the shocked and confused young girl. She surrendered Draco's payment, and they snatched it out of her hands.

"We need this place shut down for a while," the policeman said. He pointed at the waitress. "You. You're going with us."

She followed another cop, scared out of her wits. Her vision began to cloud, she could already see her boss telling her she was fired. What she didn't see was the face of a young man with piercing green eyes, staring at her through the window.

"How many more bystanders will get crushed in this freedom fight," we wondered, then walked quietly away.

"Draco had quickly gotten me set up with his surviving relations, who provided me with room and board. In return, I helped him and some others make plans for overthrowing the government. What I didn't know was that at the time, he and I were wanted by the ministry, reason being that we started a 'riot' in that small coffee shop in Edinburgh."

Minerva McGonagall, and a few others came to listen in on Hermione's story. She cleared her throat, and continued.

"This alerted some of Draco's 'old friends', and soon we were associated again with the Death Eaters. They were actually all on the right path at the time, and had some good ideas. We had some documents on what we were to do, and even devised a small weapon ti aid us. Then Voldemort re-appeared, and all hell broke loose."

She shivered, remembering the horror.

"He seized the plans. I have no idea what he did with them, but I have the feeling that that is where his superweapon came from." Hermione paused. "I thought nothing good coule ever come out of that time, but something did. I married Draco."

Small sighs echoed across the room, and Ron grimaced. Hermione nervously twirled her golden band around her finger, and started up that story….

Draco fretted nervously. However small and low-scale this wedding was, the waiting was this hell for the young groom. He had proposed to Mione just 2 weeks before, which was just a month before the Reformation of the Circle, the ceremony that would start the new order of the Death Eaters. Draco had wanted her to be at his side for the moment. He wanted someone he could trust, and most of all, someone he could love.

The room hushed, and the door opened. An unknown, hooded Death Eater walked her up the aisle, and she turned to stand next to her intended. The Dark Lord himself would be performing the ceremony, an ancient wizarding ritual, and he would tolerate no interjections of muggle culture.

Voldemort took a heavily bejeweled dagger from a stone box, and pricked each of their fingers so that two drops of blood from each finger would fall onto his pale, waxy hand. He mumbled a few words, and the ruby drops transformed into 2 red tinged wedding bands. With a fluent strand of Latin, he handed each a ring, and they exchanged them, somehow knowing exactly what to do. Then, following more Latin, they kissed, and everything seemed right.

"It was around that time that Death Eaters from all over came to join us."

McGonagall nodded. "I would assume that was the time Severus rejoined the circle."

Hermione smiled. "Yes, that would explain his surprise when he saw I was still alive. After the reformation, all Death Eaters are masked at all times when meeting."

Coming closer, Ginny inquired, "When did you have your baby?"

"About 1 ½ years later. That was what made me want to escape the Death Eaters. That and the fact that their attention had turned from the government to the Muggles. I didn't want our little Fiona to grow up with them all hovering around her."

"And here you are now," Minerva said, and she hugged Hermione and her petite baby. "You must be tired. We can all hear the rest of the story later. For now, you need rest."

Hermione couldn't agree more


	4. History

A/n: the fury of watching the PoA reviews brought me to writing this chapter. How DARE they spoil my favourite HP book by tarnishing it with such LEWD R/H-ness! (though, if you like that type of thing, then I am happy for you) PURISTS UNITE!!! (and, yes, I still call myself a purist, even though I am a D/H shipper)

**__**

Denotes Audio

Denotes flashback

Chapter 4: Shameless movie plug

Hermione stared at the ceiling. In all her history of witchcraft, she had never seen such a huge complex squeezed into such a small space. The roughly 20 sq. foot section of land situated under the fire hydrant had bee transformed into a gigantic storage facility, complete with kitchens and bedrooms. They even had game rooms, equipped with everything needed to combat cabin fever, card tables, football tables, and even ornately carved wizard chess sets.

And speaking of chess……..

Hermione heard her door open a crack. She whirled around, only to see a blue eye, and a shock of red hair peeking through,

"'ermione, its me, Ron," he said. "May I come in?"

She nodded, smiling. He grinned, and ran in, and they embraced like the old friends they were. Stepping back, Hermione studied his face.

"You look…….different……" was all she could come up with, but indeed he did look different. There was something to him that she just couldn't put her finger on. Something…..unsettling.

"You must be joking!" he laughed. "You're the only one who's changed! Your hair is so dark, and your skin is so pale!"

"I haven't been in the sun much lately," she murmured, stroking her cheek with the back of her hand. He made a move to come closer, but she flinched. Something about his touch that used to be comforting, was now repulsing her. She turned to look at him.

"There's a lot you don't know about me. A lot that hasen't been said."

He smiled gently, but to Hermione, it looked almost mocking.

"I understand. There's a movie playing in the games room now. I was wondering if you'd like to join me?" he asked.

"I would love to," she lied, "but Fiona has to get to bed."

"Minerva has offered to watch her, " Ron replied, oblivious to Hermione's agitation.

"Oh."

He offered his arm to her, and she gingerly took it, painfully aware that she had just struck this pose with her husband, moments before his…….

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"The movie is supposed to be really good," Ron said, attempting to make small talk.

"Oh, what is it?" she inquired.

"Some muggle film that took a lot of money to make, with super heroes and evil men, and the lot. It's supposed to have been a big summer's hit."

She cracked a smile, albeit a sad one. "You mean X2?" Ron nodded in agreement. "Yes," she sighed, "that was one of Draco's favourites."

Ron flinched, just as he had used to do when the name "Voldemort" was said. "I didn't know Draco had anything to do with Muggle culture." He said bitterly, through clenched teeth.

"You would be surprised," she said, as they walked into the games room.

Hermione had to admit, the movie was enjoyable even without her husband by her side. She got a good laugh when Ron jumped as Wolverine unsheathed his claws, and couldn't help but notice that he was drooling at the scantily-clad Mystique.

**__**

"Girls flirt with the bad guy, Logan, but they never bring him home." the mutant doctor Jean Grey said, dismissing the obviously aroused Wolverine **_They marry the good guy_**

Ron poked her in the side. "Is that really how it is?"

She just smiled. "Boy," she thought, "I really messed that part up…….."

_Ronald Weasley was an "if only" guy. Everyone knows the type. Girls always pass boys in hallways, or on street corners, and say, "he would be so hot, if only he cut his hair", or "He would be perfect for me, if only he were taller."_

For Hermione Granger, Ron was an ideal prospect, "If only he were better looking, and a little less stupid." Her first impression of him was that he was one of those poor, dirty, smelly kids, that happened to be nice to you if you talked to them. She had always tried to bond a bit more with Harry, and ignore the poor animal.

And then hormones kicked in.

Her friend, the dashing Harry Potter, was enamoured at the time with Cho Chang, the bitchy, (and now dead) seeker from Ravenclaw, and had no time for her, dowdy Hermione Granger. Ron, on the other hand, was so caring and helpful, if not as handsome and exciting. The two were soon "an item" around Hogwarts, holding hands and such. A scared little girl with an excited little boy, actually. Ron loved the attention, both from Hermione, and from the students. Herm just loved having someone to talk to, though not too bright.

Around their graduation time, she was starting to have doubts. Her and Ron were starting to act more like old friends then boyfriend and girlfriend, and she had not always been…..faithful to him.

Then there was the exploitation. The ruckus over Harry's battle with Voldemort led to a gigantic coming out party for wizard-kind that even the Ministry couldn't cover up. Then Hermione knew the reason why they had been in secret for so long. These muggles, her kind, were horrible to them.

Draco Malfoy was everything Ron wasn't. Sarcastic, intelligent, and breathtakingly handsome. He charmed her instantly, after getting past the fact that he was MALFOY! (eeeew) _She had seen him a few days after Hogwarts was out shopping in Edinburgh in a posh suit shop, and had approached him. He seemed intrigued by her discomfort of the new wizarding "openness", and had asked her out for coffee._

And the rest was history.

Ron walked her back to her room after the movie. She gave him a small good-night hug, and shut the door. What was it about him that made her feel uncomfortable? Even after they broke up, she still hung around him like a good friend, and now should be no different. He seemed more, threatening, or something.

Hermione fell on to her bed. Minerva had said she would care for Fiona the entire night, so that her mummy could get a good night's sleep. She was eternally grateful for that, even though she didn't feel like sleeping. Her mind was too awake for rest.

She opened her bedside drawer, and pulled out a thin leatherbound book that was stamped with a Hogwarts crest. It was a yearbook from 1997, her graduating year. Intrigued, she leafed through the pages. By that time in her life she was starting to get over Ron, she could tell from the pictures. In many of the pictures they were together, though she usually wasn't smiling, and was struggling to push out of the frame. However, one picture stuck out for her. It was a picture of the Head Boy, and Head Girl, surrounded by the prefects out on the Quidditch pitch. Hermione, the beaming Head Girl, next to Draco, the smug Head Boy, and Ron, along with his colleagues, looking happy. She had always wondered how a brat like Draco had managed to snag the highest honour of Hogwarts, because at that time she didn't know much about his amazing intelligence. But even thought she still "loathed" him, the elder Hermione noticed that her photographic counterpart was gravitating slowly towards the handsome blonde.

She slammed the book shut, tears stinging in her eyes. He could be dead now. He was _probably_ dead now. A salty drop fell, and splashed onto the leather surface of the book. Draco was gone. And looking through this book made her feel stupid for wasting 7 years of her life without him.


	5. NO IDEAS

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Hello, I've actually written a chappie, but it's utter crap, and I need some more ideas! PLEASE! O; email me, or review or something, and I will give you total credit!!!


	6. Hysteria and Mystery

Chapter 5- Hysteria and Mystery

He squinted at the sun.

How long had it been? He thought, shading his eyes with his right hand. How long had it been since he had been in the full warmth of the sun? Two years? Three?

The rays felt like a substance soaking into his pores. Five years. It had been five years since he had truly felt the sun. he shook his head. It had seemed like a lifetime. How had he functioned so long without it?

And old man was selling daily newspapers on the street corner. He noticed the brooding young wizard glancing at him, and called, "C'mon lad! What about a good ole Sun to cheer yeah up?"

"No, no, I'm fine."

"C'mere son! Theres nothing in the world the page three girl wont fix, aye?" The old man chuckled at him.

He grimaced. "S'okay. I'm fine, thanks."

Walking down the crowded ways, he almost felt like diving into the gutter. Damn Muggles, and their mad jostling. Why couldn't things be back to the way they were?

Oh well. Some things were worth the pain. Hermione, for example. He had been informed of her whereabouts, safe and sound with McGonagall. His informant was trustworthy, and almost never wrong. In fact, it was Albus Dumbledore himself.

He couldn't wait to get there. True, it hadn't been long since he had last _seen_ her, but it seemed like an eternity. It was his life's work to protect her, something that most protested to, but Dumbledore assured him it was necessary. The only thing that mattered was that Hermione was safe.

He hailed a cab to take him to the rendezvous. Disapparating made more sense, but it was crowded, and he didn't want to make a scene. It had been about six years since the Ministry had gotten rid of the Statute, but Muggles were still flipping out when people next to them disappeared.

They were also just as inflexible as before. One woman at a bank went so far as to call him a "sideshow freak" when he asked to withdraw his Galleons. Another common term was "illusionist," coined by Muggles who couldn't bring themselves to say the words "witch" and "wizard," and found a more politically correct term instead. To him, an "illusionist" was someone with a silk hat and rabbit that worked at children's parties. They had no powers. He did. God help the poor Muggle who got the two of them mixed up.

"Fiona, please sleep!"

Hermione was nearly in tears. Her little child was bawling her eyes out, upset with something. She was fed, diapered, held, sang to, and washed, but nothing was working. Her baby just screamed, unabated.

She hummed a bit of a lullaby, hoping her motherly voice would be calming. It wasn't. Fiona continued to scream, her little grey eyes opening and shutting with each breath. Her eyes were her fathers, so light and beautiful.

"You miss daddy, don't you, love?" Hermione cooed, trying to stay calm.

__

"Draco! PLEASE TAKE HER!"

Hermione shrieked for help, holding her crying 7 month old. Her husband flew to her side, toothbrush in his hand, and foam in his mouth. Kissing his wife on the cheek, he took his child in one arm, and his brush in the other, then headed back to the bathroom. Unlike most men, Draco was unfazed by screams. And he casually finished brushing his teeth before turning his attention onto little Fiona.

"Now, child," he said, in his most pompous rich brat voice. "I simply cannot stomach your yelling any longer. The noise will ruin my soufflé!"

She stared at him, completely enthralled at what he was saying. He laughed at her slightly cross-eyed expression, then flipped up her shirt and blew a wet raspberry on her stomach. She giggled, and made a few wild grabs for his nose, then succeeded in grabbing a substantial chunk of his hair.

"OUCH!" her father winced, prying her fingers from his crowning glory.

Hermione watched, and wiped tears of frustration from her face.

Dear Lord, she thought, What would I ever do without him?

The cab stooped outside a rustic, yet beautiful colonial mansion. The wizard thanked his driver, and paid him with what muggle money he had left, then looked up at the dark house, and shuddered. He had seen the inside once, and he hoped he would never see it again. Walking briskly, he spotted an odd lilac fire hydrant, and smiled. This was it.

He muttered the password, and walked through the petite door. _I wonder what her face will be like when she sees me,_ he thought, and entered the complex.

Hermione was completely wound up. Fiona was still crying, and she didn't know what to do. Could the muggles hear? Or the wizards above? The thought sent a chill down her spine. What if they came bursting through any second?

Her child's screams pounded against her head, like Chinese torture. She clenched and unclenched her hands, trying to block out the piercing yells, but it was no use. She needed to escape.

"Minerva," she said nervously, then again, only louder. "MINERVA!"

Hearing her shriek, the Professor ran towards the door. Hermione was sobbing now, and without even a muttered instruction, she donned her coat, and ran out the door, leaving the flustered McGonagall, and her crying baby.

The screams were abrasive to his ears, but he continued walking. The prize at the end of the tunnel was worth it. His Hermione was worth it.

He took a sharp left turn, bypassing the main hall. He wanted to surprise everyone by sneaking in through the back. He wondered what Hermione would do when she saw him, still alive and well.

Pushing open the door, he saw the screaming baby. He recognized the cloak next to the crib as Minerva McGonagall's, but she was no where to be seen.

The baby stopped crying, and stared at him, mesmerized. He picked her up slowly, and began to rock her back and forth, just as a father did.

Minerva rubbed Hermione's shoulders, and helped her to her feet. The young mother sniffed diligently.

"I'm sorry for making a scene," she apologized. McGonagall tutted, shaking her head.

"You have been through a lot lately, Hermione. Its understandable."

The two women walked towards her room. Hermione cocked her head, noticing something.

"Fiona isn't crying any more."

Minerva smiled. "I think shes sleeping. It must be tiring to cry so much."

They rounded the corner, and Hermione slipped through the slightly opened door. She gasped, and ran into the tall man's arms.

It was Harry.

__

A/N: I really wanted it to be Draco. I REALLY did! But I've worked out the plot and, yeah, he's not involved yet…..Thanks so much for all your ideas, as you can tell, I've been really inspired!

Seed-of-Flame: I will be using your idea sort of, but instead of Snape, it will be someone else, ok? Snape can't go running off yet.

Miss Tricksy: Don't worry, I hate Ron, and I would never match up Hermione with him. But he does still have feelings for her. This brings up a conflict with Fiona, because she represents, to him, hermione and Draco's relationship.

Regina Terrae: That's coming up, actually, the chappie where we find out what happened.

Sofa Girl: Harry is here! In the next chappie, you will find out what hes been doing for all this time. As for the Draco marrying a mudblood thing, it will come up again. Voldemort wasn't really ok with it, but I guess he was so starved for followers that he made allowances.

Julie Bouse: sorry, I would update quicker, but I hate typing :)

Blah Blah: thanks, you rock too!

Jolene Smith: I think it is a common trend with d/hr shippers that we have an intense loathing of all r/h-ness.

Jbanana: do you really think I could kill Draco? (maybe, maybe not….)

Thanks for all your ideas!


	7. Life's Occupation

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Disclaimer (have I ever had one of these?): I don't own Harry Potter (duh!)

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A/n: this chapter just kind of wrote itself, so to speak, so if it sucks, its not really my fault. (but if it rocks, I take full credit) If you don't like the weirdly twisted L/H scene in this chappie, blame my History teacher for showing us "The Patriot", as Jason Isaacs has taken up temporary residence next to Tom Felton in my brain.

A/n2: I saw HP3, way better than the first two, but I thought they skipped an awful lot in the middle (or was it just me…?) Malfoy was deliciously….wimpy in it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, except for the R/H hand-holding situation. RON SHOULD DIE!!!!

Chapter 6- Life's Occupation

(this is just a bit of Harry-flashback to make sure we all know what the heck is going on)

Harry watched as the young girl was taken with the Muggle policemen out the door of the café. How many bystanders will get crushed in this freedom fight? _he wondered. Walking slowly, he turned and saw Albus Dumbledore spying on him from the corner._

"Harry," the old man said, taking him firmly by the shoulders. Though elderly and frail, Dumbledore still radiated a plausible power. "Harry, I fear Hermione is making a terrible mistake, going with Draco."

Harry rolled his eyes. "No way. I would give anything to know what he just said to her. What would make such a smart, sweet witch go with someone like him?"

"Would you give your life to find this out?"

Dumbledore's question hung in the air. Taking a deep breath, Harry asked, "What do you mean?"

Dumbledore stared at him, and said, "Hermione is much more powerful than I." The young wizard in front of him frowned. "It is true. She is one of the most powerful witched that I have ever seen. She is capable of doing and making things that you and I cant even imagine doing." The elderly wizard shook his head. "I need you to keep and eye on her. Make sure she isn't being misled."

"Professor, if Hermione is so smart and powerful, how could she be swayed by someone like Malfoy?"

"Either he'll enchant her with his personality," Dumbledore said solemnly, "or he'll enchant her with his wand."

****

Severus Snape's Private Potions Room

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"Here you go, Potter."

Snape handed Harry a goblet of what looked like green pulp, then smiled, backing away. "Bottoms up."

Hesitating, harry glanced at his ex-professor, and swallowed. "Professor, what exactly will this turn me into?"

"It's Severus, Potter, or Snape, I suppose," he replied, walking up to the black curtain that separated the room. "Do you really wish to know what that Polyjuice Potion will turn you into?"

Harry nodded, than instantly wished he didn't. Snape gave him a rather nasty look, then pulled back the curtain, revealing a sickly looking body, with greasy blond hair and pallid skin.

Lucius Malfoy.

"Is…..is….is he?"

"Dead?" Snape finished Harry's sentence for him. "No, of course not. He's just had his memory wiped, and been Stunned a couple of times. He'll survive, if we want him to."

Harry surveyed his goblet once more, his stomach nearly emptying its contents onto the stone floor. On gulp, and he would become Lucius Malfoy. Yum.

:How long will I have to take this?" he asked, imagining a 90-year old Lucius attempting to mount a broomstick. The potions master chuckled at his disgusted expression.

"For as long as necessary. Since you have finally_ mastered Occulmency, the Dark Lord will never know that it is you. Lucius is well ranked among the Death Eaters, so you will be able to find out much about their plans, as well as spy on 'your' son, and his lovely new girlfriend. There might be a bit of a fuss when I suddenly show up with you in tow, but it should all smooth out in a matter of days. Take these," he through Harry some large robes, embroidered with silver. "Lucius is a wealthy man, and he enjoys showing it."_

Harry sorted through the bundle, frowning slightly at a length of black satin ribbon. Try as he might, he couldn't imagine himself with long, blond hair for an extended period of time. It would make him go mad.

"Anything else I should know?" he said, backing off to the small room where he could transform, and dress. "Any special 'Malfoy' protocols?"

"Worship the Dark Lord," Snape said, then gave a full out grin, "and treat your son like a pile of bogeys."

Smiling slightly, harry shut the door, and, saying goodbye to his untidy black hair and lank build, he gulped down his potion.

****

Draco's Wedding, in the Bride's chambers

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Harry felt like his robes were suffocating him, and if he had to wear the stupid mask for any longer, heads would begin to roll.

Was that Lucius enough?

He blew some stray strands of whitish-blond hair from his face. He had had half a mind to have it all chopped off, but he hesitated. He would hate to look strange, especially at his own 'son's' wedding, eh? To the gorgeous Hermione Granger, no less. He yanked off his mask.

Head's were going to roll.

The door opened, and in walked Hermione. She was a vision, wearing dress robes made of the finest green silk. Harry had suggested the green, as Lucius was probably squashing the Gryffindor out of her. Bu the real reason for the green was between him and Hermione, and she was none the wiser.

Walking up, he took her hand. "You look beautiful, my dear," he said, cringing inwardly at the lilted aristocratic voice that slipped through his lips. Almost a year had passed, and he still wasn't used to it, having his words spoken by one of his worst enemies.

She smiled. He raised her hand to his lips, and kissed is, letting his mouth graze slowly across her smooth skin. Taken aback, she unceremoniously yanked her hand back to her side. Quirking an eyebrow, Lucius-style, he asked, "Are you forgetting something?"

Pureblood wizard tradition said that the bride-to-be must give a kiss to her future father, sealing the joining of the two families. Normally, this wasn't a problem, but for Hermione, this meant kissing her handsome father in law, who seemed to have a more than healthy amount of interest in her.

She walked up to him, and, placing a hand on his broad chest to steady herself, she put a small peck on his lips. Harry was about to leave it at that, and save the old boy's reputation, but the touch of her lips undid him. He slammed her up against the wall, and pulled her hands up to his hair. Her large brown eyes stared at him, begging him to stop, but his pale grey ones were already closed to her silent pleas. His hand roamed her sided, pulling her closer to him, her form shaking under him, but slowly surrendering.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

The rather scrawny Death Eater at the door choked a bit, then muttered, "thelordisreadynowfortheceremony," and slammed the door.

Hands snapped away, and Harry stepped away from the wall, nearly tripping over his own feet. What was he thinking? He was Lucius Malfoy, for God's sake! What did he want to do, scar poor Hermione for life? He looked back at her, hoping to salvage the situation. She was standing there, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, winded. His hands fumbled, trying to slip on his mask, totally distracted by the beautiful woman in front of him. He yanked out his arm, which she dutifully took. Her face read confusion, surprise, and disgust, though not as much as he thought she would have. He shuddered, slightly, and thought,

'Weird family customs, these inbreds.'

****

3Years Later

"Severus, we need to talk."

Snape looked up from his drink. "Why, Lucius, I see something is upsetting you."

"I fear," he dropped his voice, "My granddaughter is learning a lot tonight."

Snape's eyes widened in recognition. "Ah. And you wish for her to end up well?"

Harry nodded, feeling Lucius's neat ponytail bob up and down on his neck. "Yes. She spends too much time with her mother."

Peeking over his shoulder, Severus dropped a small tablet into Lucius's drink, and handed it back to him. He pulled a face, but downed it entirely.

"Are you sure?" the black-haired man said, slipping a hand into his wand pocket. Harry/Lucius placed his glass back on a passing tray.

"Of course I am sure. Hermione has too much knowledge, and I am scared that she might not educate my grandchild properly."

Harry prayed that Snape could understand what he was trying to relay, for at that moment, Severus disappeared in a gust of silvery smoke, and Harry felt a familiar tugging in his abdomen…….

"What are you thinking about?"

Harry turned to face Hermione, who plunked down next to him of the couch. He shrugged.

"Stuff. My past activities, good and bad."

She sensed some tension growing in his voice, and decided to avoid his past for a while. Fiddling with her hem, she looked him in the eyes.

"I missed you."

He gave a laugh, tinged with barely hidden bitterness. "Wasn't Malfoy always there for you?"

"Of course!" she said, a bit to loudly. "I mean, of course he was! He was my _husband_, after all! But still, I wish I had a friend like you, to talk to when Draco and I fought."

"Did you fight often?" he asked, already knowing the answer. She shrugged.

"A bit. It was mostly over what to teach Fiona, like the Dark Arts, or defense against it. That was it, but still, we fought nonetheless. The only person I had to talk to was Lucius." She shivered. "He was helpful, but, well, _creepy."_

Harry stiffened. Him, creepy? "What did he do?" he asked, curiously.

"Well, he would treat Draco like a pile of toerags, to tell you the truth. He seemed to love Fiona enough, but when he was around me," she hesitated, "he would look at me differently. Like is wasn't his daughter in law. You know, Harry." She stopped, and stared at him. He was looking at her. Like that.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

He stroked her hand. "What do you want me to do?" he paused, "_my dear?"_

Hermione gave a little scream, and jumped off the couch. _He just sounded like….._

She ran.

****

A/n: eeeew, wouldn't it be creepy if your father in law started hitting on you? Poor Hermione is so confused! Draco will make an appearance in the next chappie, in the form of a flashback (im sorry, I know most readers hate those, but after the next chappie, there will be NO MORE FLASBACKS AT ALL. I just need them to tell the whole story right now)

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Anasazi: I hope this cleared up why Harry was so stalker-like. Thanks for reading!

Jolene Smith: I wanted it to be him too, but it wasn't! I actually don't mind h/hr that much, as you will see sorta from this chappie (in a twisted way), but d/h is still the best!

Regina-terrae: oops, sorry. I kinda made them get together a bit, but thanks to Harry's creepiness (I have been using that word a lot) a h/hr romance in this fic is not possible!

Jbanana: I will never blame anyone for liking draco. Liking ron on the other hand……

Seed-of-Flame: I love messing with people's heads. **evil**

Ashton Rushing: Thanks!

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In case you haven't noticed, I am going to be updating this fic regularly on Saturdays!


	8. A Penchant for Peanut Butter

Chapter 7- A Penchant for Peanut Butter

Hermione stopped, and leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. This was all maddening.

Harry/Lucius

Lucius/Harry

Sure, it all made sense now. Thinking back to the time Lucius had kissed her before her wedding, she had noticed how oddly Harry-like his actions had been.. His breath had also tasted like Peanut Butter cups.

Slinking quietly, she walked into her room, and, after checking on Fiona, slid her photo album from out of a drawer. She flipped through the pages, until she discovered her "wedding picture". It was her, dressed in forest green robes, and Draco, in black, surrounded by a group of Death Eaters. The one on her right stuck out, as a lock of pale hair was covering one of the eyes of his mask. So that was him.

Minerva had inquired to Harry's whereabouts previously, but he had been vague, saying he was "around" and things like that. He had been around, all right.

"I'm so sorry."

She whirled around, and saw Harry standing there, tail between his legs. "It was just, so hard. I had to be him all the time…."

Her heart melted. "I know," she whispered, and she hugged him. "I cant imagine not being myself. How did you do it?"

Rubbing her hair gently, he grinned. "The body too some time to get used to."

She choked, stifling a laugh. "I never thought of that!"

"Lets just say, if im half as healthy as he is at his age……" Harry trailed off, letting Hermione giggle. Most didn't realize that when one took Polyjuice, they don't just end up with the face of the person…..

"He has a very large…." He felt Hermione gasp, "……arse."

She let out a breath. "I thought you were going to say, um, something else."

"Do you really want to know?"

"NO!" she shrieked. Fiona awoke with a little cry, and Hermione instantly went to her side, and picked her up.

"How did you stay in that form for so long?" she asked, curiously, cuddling her daughter.

Harry pulled out a small bag from his rather volumous robes. Taking a wand in one hand, he pulled out what seemed to be a cream filled chocolate. He muttered a quick charm, and the chocolate snapped in two, and began oozing a green goo.

"Snape would guard my house while I slept, and I would take one of these on the hour, every day, for four years." He wrinkled his nose. "I hate chocolate."

She laughed, and put down Fiona, letting her crawl around a bit. This was the reason Hermione loved Harry, he was so funny, and easy to talk to. She always felt safe withh im, which was the reason he had been her first. Blinking quickly, she dismissed that memory, and smiled slightly. He had nothing on Draco.

Speaking of which…… "What are you gong to do with those?" she asked, motioning to the chocolates. He laughed.

"Want one?"

"No way!" she squealed. He pulled out another one, winked, and shoved it into his mouth. Hermione scooped up Fiona quickly, covering her eyes, and watched, enthralled.

Harry's pale face wrinkled slightly, and his emerald eyes became slightly light and cold. His eyebrows thinned and arched, and his scar sucked right into his forehead. The black, untidy hair sprouted past his broadening shoulders, and turned a brilliant white blond. Hermione laughed as his lank frame shot up a couple inches, as his body began to fill into the robes he was wearing.

She uncovered her daughter's eyes. Fiona squeaked, then extended her arm to the long hair.

"Da!"

Harry laughed, a cold calculated chuckle, and took her in his arms. "No, no, Fiona, I'm not your…..father."

She frowned at his voice. "Da," she said, and nearly gouged out one of his pale eyes.

"They have the same eyes," Hermione said distantly. "Draco, Lucius, and Fiona." She shrugged. "It's a Malfoy thing, I guess."

"As well as other things," he said, through gritted teeth, as Fiona had grabbed ahold of some of his long, blond hair.

"Draco thinks she might end up a brunette," Hermione said, stroking her daughter's soft head. Harry smiled, Lucius's lips curling up slowly, then he kissed Fiona on the head. He kissed her, with the exact same lips that he had kissed Hermione with on her wedding day.

"Hey Harry?"

"Mhhmh?"

"Did you talk to Ron about you being…..him?"

An evil grin spread across his face, which looked very malicious with his current features.

"No."

Ron smiled at Seamus.

"Queen to B5. Checkmate."

Seamus groaned, and took another handful of Reese's pieces. Ron poked him in the shoulder, and gloated;

"That makes 4 games in a row! 1 more game, and I win the match, eh Seamus? Seamus?" He looked over at his bud, who's mouth was half open. Partially chewed crunchies fell from his teeth, and his eyes were the size of snitches. Apprehensive, Ron slowly turned, and looked behind him.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

It was Lucius Malfoy, wearing only a pair of purple plaid boxers, hair in pigtails, and chest covered in……….peanut butter?

His hands were nearly around Ron's neck.

"GAH! AH AH AH!"

Ron jumped off his chair, landing face-first into the chess board. Seamus gave a high pitched scream, and dived under the table.

Suddenly, Hermione ran through the door, and she and Lucius (?) burst into fits of laughter.

Seamus peeked up from the table, and Ron stared at the both of them, while trying to remove the rook from his nose.

"Its me, Ron! HARRY!"

Ron looked at Hermione, who nodded. The wheels began to turn, albeit very slowly, in his head, and he lunged at Harry, knocking him over, and getting peanut butter on his hands.

"RON!"

"Quiet Hermione!" Ron looked livid. "Don't you understand? HE was Lucius, the one who kissed you and was so weird!"

Harry chuckled. "We've been over this, her and I. I took a Polyjuice potion that turned me into Lucius Malfoy, so I could keep and eye on her, and…."

"SO YOU COULD WHAT????"

This time it was Hermione. "Keep an eye on me? What did you think I was getting myself into?"

Harry pushed Ron off him, and stood up. "I was just there to protect you!"

"From what? From DRACO?"

"Well….."

"You seemed to be doing much more than just _protecting_ her," Ron muttered cynically. Hermione turned on him.

"Shut up! That is NONE of your business."

"Hey!" Harry yelled, "You weren't there for her at all."

"You didn't give me a chance, peanut boy!"

"Why would we want you anyway, mega nostril?"

"Oh SOD OFF, the both of you!" Hermione screamed. "Why on Earth would I need either of you with me? I'm a big girl now, ok? I can handle myself! Besides, I had Draco with me!"

She stormed off, leaving the two of them with their petty insults. Taking her wand, she drew a stroller in the air, which fell lightly to the ground. She fetched Fiona, and strapped her in, then, ran out the door of the complex, and into the brisk Muggle world…..

__

Hermione noticed Draco picking lazily at his cheesecake. Though usually schooled and unreadable, his features betrayed that he was unusually nervous and afraid.

"Are you not hungry?" she asked, smoothing her napkin on her lap. He sighed pensively.

"I….um….um," he stuttered, his face warming.

She was shocked. Almost an entire dinner had gone by, and he had not insulted her, teased her, or poked fun at her all night. Something had to be wrong.

"What's the matter, Ferret?" she asked. He hated that term, so she used it even more, and it had turned into almost a pet name. He looked up, and Hermione noticed a small bead of sweat trailing down his brow. Intriguing.

"I, well. How long have we known each other for?"

She laughed. "Trying to make small talk, are we? Alright then." She cleared her throat. "I have known you for around eight years."

Letting that sink in, she took another bite of pie, savoring the sweet apples and flaky pastry.

"Ummmm. Ok, uh, well, yeah," he said, in a very un-Draco like manner. She looked up, curious.

He blushed. "I bet you're wondering why I asked you out for dinner." She shook her head. They were friends, after all, and friends ate together, didn't they?

Laughing nervously, he took his knife and started prodding his cake again.

"Well, you actually don't know why I did because I haven't told you yet, but I'm going to tell you now." He cringed. 'That sounded stupid."

She swallowed her pie. "Sorta. Continue."

"Well, I asked you here because I needed to tell you something important." He stared at her, hoping she got the hint, but she was just sitting there, waiting. He swallowed. "I love you."

CLANK! Her fork dropped onto the plate, and her hands flew to her mouth.

"WHAT?" she mumbled, shell-shocked.

He jumped up from his seat, and took one of her hands, kneeling on the floor. "I love you, Hermione." The words were as delicious to say as the cheesecake was to eat. She looked down at him, tears in her eyes.

"I love you too," she said, and then their lips finally met.

Kissing Draco was the most amazing thing Hermione had ever done. Their joining seemed to make everything around them disappear, including;

"That old couple is staring at us," Draco murmured into her lips. Blushing, she pulled away, and noticed that the taste of his cheesecake lingered on her tongue. It was chocolate. Creamy chocolate. And was that….? It was. She smiled, and kissed him again.

Peanut butter.

A/N: silly, yes, I know. The next chapter will be slightly dark, and will merit an R rating, I think.

Jolene Smith: A yes, here it is! The flashback with Draco! Yes, I suppose it would be creepy if my father in law was hitting on me……

Anasazi: Finally, someone sees the fact that it is indeed Lucius Malfoy, the sexiest over-40 year old after Johnny Depp!

Jbanana: sorry about the creepiness…..


	9. Violation

A/N: sorry, a bit late, my computers been down for a while. Thanks to Olivia, my bud, for helping me with this chappie, You are my psycho lemon-goddess!

Chapter 8: Violation

Hermione practically ran down the street, pushing baby Fiona along with her. Stupid, idiotic Harry and Ron! She thought. They don't own me!

She entered a small clearing, and stopped. A few birds were chirping, and the daisies were swaying happily in the breeze. Something about that was eerily calming, the quietness and normal monotony of it all. It almost made her forget she was the wife of a Dead Death Eater, a widow of the wizarding world. Almost.

A stray tear slipped down her cheek. Where had that come from? She thought. An odd chill ran down her neck and straight into her spine. The daisies, she noticed, were no longer swaying, and seemed almost frozen into position. She pulled Fiona out of her stroller, and wrapped her protective arms around her. If only she could find her wand.

A sheet of frozen air blew into the two of them. Fiona yelped in fright, and Hermione shuddered. Her limbs seemed to be made of Jell-O, the way they were acting. A jolt shot into her. This could only mean one thing…..

__

Draco faced the Dark Lord, silent begging in his eyes. The red, snake-like slits focused on him, and the almost taloned hand pulled out a wand. "I have had enough of you, Malfoy," Voldemort muttered. "You have betrayed me one last time."

"No," Draco whispered, just as Voldemort yelled, "CRUCIO!"

Screams filled the hall, as Draco began to twitch and writhe. Blood began to flow from the most sensitive parts of his body,and dripped to the ground. It was the screams that hurt her themost, screams that came from her rock, her steadfast man, the one who protected her from all harm……the screams wouldn't stop.

"No," Hermione groaned, holing her head. "This isn't happening. Not again. NOT HERE!":

Clutching the wailing Fiona, she drew her wand. Her mind flew to her wedding night, back to soft sheets, and Draco's tender hands.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A shining silver otter flew out of the tip of her wand, and glided into the oncoming storm clouds. She began to feel her husband's screams retreat from her throbbing head. Looking up at the rolling clouds, she could se the hems of tattered cloaks fading off into the distance. Dementors.

But even as they escaped, the daises did not show their bright faces. There was something else.

"Mrs……..Malfoy."

Everything went black.

There was something holding her down. Something…..cold. It was around her wrists, her ankles, and over her mouth, gagging her. She felt a rush of cold air blow over her, and felt goosebumps rise over her entire body. She was naked.

"Mrs. Malfoy."

It was that voice again. She knew it well, so harsh, filled with guttural tones, and hisses.

__

Voldemort

She heard footsteps coming closer to her, then stopping by her feet. "You dare to even think my name, Mudblood?" it said, and then let a clammy finger run down her side, raising the tiny hairs on her waist and hips. "Tsk tsk. Draco has been spoiling you, hasn't he?"

She felt bile rising in the back of her throat. Voldemort was seeing something that only the two most important men in her life had even seen, something that was so sacred. And now, she guessed, he was going to defile it.

"It doesn't have to be that way."

The clammy hands stroked her face this time, and stopped at her temples. "If you simply tell me what I need to know, we ca make this quick and painless. If not…" he trailed his fingers down, and stroked one of her nipples, "we can do it the hard way."

Hermione shuddered. What on earth was he talking about?

"Oh they didn't tell you what an amazing part you play in their little plan?"

His mind reading trick was getting on her nerves. Why didn't he just find out what he needed to know, and let her go? And where was her….?

"Interesting questions, Mrs. Malfoy. Your little half-breed daughter is indisposed right now, and will most likely be that way for a while."

If she could have screamed, she would have. Enough anger was building up inside of her to kill him instantly, Avada Kedavra or not.

"Such a fiery spirit. Exactly what keeps me from getting what I need. You see, without even concentrating, your mind is blocking all vital information from any probing intruders, myself included. Even Truth Serum couldn't unlock it. What _I _am going to do is break your subliminal concentration." She could feel his moist breath on her neck. "Is this all making sense?"

She hated the way he explained it all, just like an evil villain in an old James Bond movie.

Suddenly, she could see……but where was she? Instead of a damp, cold, dark dungeon, she was lying on warm grass, in the lawn of her house. How?

__

Think, Hermione. Its him_. He can control you. None of this is real._

But it seemed so real. The grass smelled so fresh, and the lilacs she had planted were in full bloom, wafting their sweet-soapy smell towards her.

__

None of this is real. None of this is real.

Her dress she was wearing was one of Draco's favourites. It was a forest green pattern crepe dress, with silver beads accenting the shoulder straps. Her hair was in large, bouncy curls, just how he liked it. It almost made her think that this was all one joke. That was it. A practical joke! Harry, Ron and Draco were playing a joke on her, and they were going to come out any second, and tell her that, no, Draco wasn't dead, and Harry wasn't Lucius after all!

__

Really bright, Hermione. This isn't real.

A crush of grass brought her to her senses. She propped herself up, and saw him. It wasn't a dream, it was real. It had to be. HE was real.

Draco was running towards her, a smile on his face. His silver-blond hair blew in the slight breeze, obscuring his features, but his grey eyes still shone through. Before she knew it, he hand jumped on her, pinning her down, and began kissing her with such force that it took her breath away. This was how he was, before the Death Eaters re-banded, before Voldemort took over…

__

STOP IT Hermione! This is Voldemort you're kissing! NOT Draco! This is all an illusion.

Hermione felt his slim fingers begin to ease the straps of her dress down, past her shoulders, exposing her to his hungry eyes. She melted at his tender touch, stroking her skin lightly.

__

You're letting him win, Hermione.

She didn't care. She moaned as his fingers slipped under her skirt, teasing her. Grabbing his shoulders, she slammed her lips onto his, hoping to make him break his resolve. He was teasing her….tooo…much….

"Draco…." she breathed, forgetting how good it felt to have his name pass her lips in such a moan. His eyes met hers. He was laughing through them, laughing at her vulnerable, needy state. She needed him, and he knew it. The real Draco would have continued, making her break in pleasure, but he didn't. No, not yet.

**__**

Tell me.

"Augh," she moaned, thrusting her hips, trying to make him do what she wanted. He didn't, and his gleaming eyes bore into her.

"Draco…please…." She hissed.

**__**

Tell me…..now…

She couldn't take it any more. All her barriers fell down, and she screamed the one thing he wanted, just as he sent her over the edge.

"POWER HUNGRY!"

The happy scene, her, Draco, the impossibly green front lawn, everything disappeared. Hermione felt herself fall, then hit a cold, stone surface. She felt something crack, and she winced in pain.

"VOLDEMORT, YOU BASTARD," she screamed. "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!"

A small chuckle came from the right hand corner. "Did you really think that _I _would touch your dirty, disgusting Mudblood self?"

She heard a little pop, and a tiny twinkling light illuminated a figure in front of her. He was gaunt, with matted blonde hair gunked with grease and dirt. He held his skeletal hands in his lap, with their blackened nails, and his once fine silk robes were torn and tattered beyond recognition, hanging like a tent on his emancipated frame.

But there was no mistaking him.

"Draco?" she whispered, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. His eyes rose to meet hers, twinkling slightly at the sound of his name. He took one of his dry, flaking hands, and placed it on her smooth one.

"Her….her….herm…"

A hand flew out of no where, and cuffed Draco on the side of his head, sending him flying across the room. Voldemort look at him sneering.

"It's funny, Mrs. _Malfoy_, what the Crutacius Curse does to a _weak_ mind."

She stared at him, rage bubbling from her pores. He gave her a sick grin, his red eyes flashing dangerously.

"I will be replaying that scene over and over in my head for the next week," he said, his small red tongue licking his lip suggestively. She shuddered.

He gave her one last look, then pulled out his wand, and pointed it at her.

The next day, she woke up in her bed.

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A/N: _I was this close to not putting him in, but I decided to. YAY! Draco isn't dead, hes just insane! I don't think this is quite R yet, but I put it in just in case. Better to be safe than sorry!_

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Jbanana: awwww…..hes back, and yet I still feel sad.

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Dracoishot: haha, as much as I dislike Ron as well, hes a good guy in this fic

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Anasazi: sigh I usually feel bad for harry. JKR made him so messed up in the 5th book

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Jolene Smith: doesn't peanut butter rock! Ough! I could eat it forever!

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Igobgirlie15: haha, thanks! Don't worry, its not a usual summary…

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Regina-terrae: THERES DRACO!

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Cassiel Oliviari: if you do say so yourself….haha, when are you gonna write your OWN fic??


	10. Conversation

A/N: AUGH! NO MORE TESTS! Honestly, I thought I was gonna explode!

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Chapter 9- Conversation

Draco Malfoy stared furiously at the man, _thing, _who was making his life a living hell. Stupid bugger. _I swear, he has the I.Q. of a flea. Fiona could beat him in a duel._

"How _dare _you insult me…" it whispered, reaching one of its long, thin fingers towards its wand. Draco rolled his eyes, exasperated.

"Really, if you must torture me, do it now. I hate the anticipation," he drawled. Voldemort gave him a cold, calculating look, and put down his wand. It was wearing on him, all the Crutacious Curses, and such, not even counting the giant Imperio he had cast minutes ago.

"She thinks you're insane," he hissed softly.

Draco nodded. "I know."

"You don't have a problem with this." Voldemort chuckled. "You _trust _the Mudblood wench, that she won't cheat on you, her dear, insane husband."

He was trying to get under his skin, and Draco knew it. "She's my _wife."_ he spat. "Just because you've never known true love doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"Oh yes, of course," _it_ said, grinning as much as it possibly could. "Do you really know what she thought, when she saw you?"

Draco felt his stomach ice over. "I….I don't care. I know she loves me." He held up his hand. "She touched me!"

"Ahhh, yes…" _Stupid git. How _dare_ he act like he knows her!_

"Mister Malfoy, your dear sensitive wife has been, how do you lot say it, been _unfaithful_?"

"And how the hell would you know that?" Draco mumbled through clenched teeth.

Voldemort raised his hands. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Draco squinted.

He was sitting on something hard, and there were people all around him. _Smelly _people. He wrinkled his nose. Didn't these people have showers?

There was a sudden burst of sound, and Draco jumped, looking around. Ahh, yes. Television. The room was brilliantly illuminated in a bluish light, and figured began to appear on the screen. He looked around, and his eyes fell on the couch. It was Hermione…..with _Weasley._

"Well that was interesting, wasn't it, Malfoy Jr.?"

"Sod off."

"Do you wish to be left alone?"

"No! _Of course not_!"

Voldemort snapped his fingers, and a rotating bundle of cloth appeared, floating in the air. "Look familiar?"

Draco's eyes went wide. "Fiona?"

The Dark Lord nodded. "Your stupid wife forgot her."

"You _sent _her _away!_" he screamed, trying to run up, but he felt as though his rump was glued to the floor. Voldemort laughed, his eerily high voice almost sounding like a giggle.

"Oh dear, yes. Whatever should happen to poor Fiona?"

"NOTHING if you know what's good for you!"

Draco buried his face in his hands. Voldemort continued to laugh menacingly, flipping the child every once and a while in midair. Her father felt as though his heart was going to burst.

"I know what you're going to do."

Voldemort stopped laughing. "Really. Of course you do, I never thought you were _that _daft, boy."

"She's next in line. You're doing it to Dumbledore, and you'll do it to her."

"Stupid Dumbledore was never a match for me. And your little girl will give me just enough power."

Draco looked up. "please. Take me instead of her. I have power."

"Little Malfoy, your power is nothing compared to that of your child. Such raw, unharnessed magical energy."

The rolling bundle stopped, then shot towards Draco's waiting arms. Voldemort gasped very slightly as father and daughter stood up.

"Well, well, small one." He pushed them both down with a wave of his hand. "You think you have enough power?"

He clapped, and an old, wrinkled body fell to the ground out of thin air. Voldemort levitated it just enough so that it was at shoulder level, and placed his hands around its neck.

"So be it. if after you I don't have enough power, your child will be taken as well, and your little Mudblood will be left alone. If after you I have enough power," he paused, relishing the moment, "she will go free."

Draco nodded, his head spinning. Voldemort gave him a final glance, then began his work…..

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A/N: SORRY SORRY SORRY I have to go on vacation, so this chapter is short and confusing, and it sucks, but I promise to explain everything when I get back, ok!


	11. Pains in the Posterior

(a/n:_ this isn't actually Elfaghetti. Nope, sorry, this is her loving neighbourhood Cassiel Oliviari, coming in to save the say, and breathe life into her dead plot bunny. In return, she is helping me write my poem-parody, Rowling and Seuss: Together at Last. Sorry….a bit of shameless plugging there. On to the story)_

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Chapter Eleven: Pains in the Posterior

"I'm sorry to say this, mate," Ron said to Harry, a grim smile on his face. "I know it'll hurt you bad, and might totally discourage you, but I'm not the kind of guy who just leads their friend on, you know?"

"So what you're saying is that I have no chance," Harry groaned. He ran his hand through his tousled mop of hair, and absent-mindedly spat on the grass. "I should just give up?"

"No!" his friend protested. "I'm just saying that you shouldn't get your hopes up. You aren't the teenager you used to be."

Ron and Harry were idly taking a walk in the park, which brought a tiny sense of normality to their totally strange existences. Motioning to his rather mangled leg, Harry remarked, "It's flying, Ron! I don't need legs to fly!"

Ron waved it off. "You never know, Harry. When you're a Pro Quidditch player, you might need your legs to grip and stuff. What if a Bludger hit's your torso, and you lose control of your legs, I mean arms?"

"I'm no Oliver Wood, Ron. I'm not crazy enough to go flying around when my body's half bashed up."

"All I'm saying is that any Pro Quidditch team will want a player with all four limbs intact, and you, my friend, are a bit lacking in that department."

Harry through up his arms in disgust. "Okay. I'll try to get a job somewhere else. Maybe as a House Elf."

The two kept walking down the path, Ron getting steadier more red as the silence grew. Finally, he burst into mad laughter. Harry gave him a weird look, and asked him what was wrong.

"You are!" he giggled out. "You honestly think that some Quidditch team won't hire you just because you have a slightly scarred leg? It's a badge of honour from the war, and you're Harry freaking Potter!"

"Oh. So you were just leading me on then?"

Ron looked up at Harry, who was trying to be serious, but was failing miserably. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I had to get you back after the Polyjuice incident."

Harry's good mood faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered, and noticed, "Hey. Isn't Hermione out for a walk, or something like that?"

Ron gazed out over the rest of the park. "Yes. She ran off this way." His eyes fixed on a small crowd of muggles about two hundred metres_ (yards, for you British and American)_ away, as did Harry's. A quick look said it all, and the pair ran over to the spot.

The crowd quickly parted for the panting wizards. In the middle there lay two unconscious bodies, one male, and one female. With the help of a few of the muggles, Ron and Harry flipped the two bodies over.

The male was unidentifiable.

The female was Hermione.

Her lips were swollen, red, and slightly open, and her chest was heaving hard. She was slightly bruised, but for now the one thing that mattered was a certain missing…accessory.

Harry faced the shocked crowd, and growled, "Did any of you see a baby? A baby girl, with big blue eyes?"

They all shook their heads.

Ron held his face in his hands, and rubbed his eyes a bit. "Alright," Harry said. "Thank you for your help."

A little girl squeezed her way forward. "Excuse me?" she said, her little voice cutting through the silence. "Is this magic?"

And old couple, presumably her grandparents, pulled her aside, and quickly hushed her. "Shh, little Jane, " the woman croaked, then looked up at the two wizards. "Little girls these days," she tutted, shaking her head. "No manners at all. Come now child."

The woman and her husband shooed the girl off, despite her loud protests. "But, wait! My m…"

After that, the muggles slowly filed off. Harry transported Hermione back to headquarters. He and Ron then hunched down and examined the man. He was very old, older than they had ever known to be possible, as seen by the grey skin and deep wrinkles. Ron felt for a pulse, then shook his head.

"Dead then." Harry closed his eyes. "She was lucky she got out of there alive."

Ron then did all the routine checks, things that they were taught in training. "He's not been dead for a while. He doesn't stink, or anything." Then, he noticed something odd. "Waitaminute."

Harry leaned over, and looked where Ron was examining. The man's eyes. They were completely colourless.

"What do you think…?"

The question didn't even half to be said. Both wizards stared in silence, and with a wave of his wand, Ron sent the body to headquarters.

"Sucked the colour right out…" he mused. "What kind of power does it take to do that?"

Harry shook his head solemnly. "Frankly, Ron, I don't even want to think about it."

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Upon arriving to Headquarters, the two were immediately assaulted by McGonagall, who was in some sort of fit.

"YOU TWO YOUNG HOOLIGANS!" she raged, her face purple and splotchy. "INCOMPETANT NINCOMPOOPS! PAINS IN THE…." She struggled for a word, "….POSTERIOR!"

Harry and Ron nearly ran back out the door, they were so shocked! Harry peeked his eyes out from under his fringe. "Minerva? May I ask what we did wrong?"

She sucked in another huge breath of air. "You TWO were out taking a walk, while two unconscious wizards suddenly appear! We needed YOUR help!"

"Oh, so the man was a wizard," Ron said. "We didn't identify him as one."

"Well, I don't think Voldemort would attack a muggle like that," Harry shrugged. "he doesn't think them that important."

He turned to McGonagall, who was blue by now. "We found them in the park, and sent them to you," he explained.

"You didn't identify…" she trailed off. Suddenly sober, she led the two to a spare room, where the old man's body lay. She turned to them, a quavering tear running down her eye, and informed them;

"This man is Albus Dumbledore."

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(_DUMDUMDUM! I kind of took a weird turn in this chapter, I hope you and she like it….i hope a resurrected the plot bunny…now read and review!)_

(oh yeah…if you liked this chapter, look me up…sorry…)

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Casbah Rock-ers

Regina-terrae- I think you now know who the old wrinkled body is…. But why is he old and wrinkled?

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Ani: thank you, but I didnt start it…I hope this chapter lives up to the rest of the story

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Leila5: -hugs back-

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Jbanana: Draco is so nice and demented when he is insane! You no like? (and I'm sure she had a nice holiday…she was just too lazy to update, so I had to give her an offer she couldn't refuse)

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Cassiel Oliviari: I've never had the pleasure to answer my own review. Now I have, and it wasn't as cool as I thought it would be ;)

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It was nice meeting you guys.

C.O.


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